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From its humble beginning
in 1879, the Adelaide Polo Club has evolved into one
of Australia's leading and most competitive polo clubs.

Originally located in the centre of the CBD at the
Old Victoria Park Racecourse, today the Adelaide Polo
Club is based at Mount Barker, 25km from the CBD amidst
rolling hills and big gums.

The Adelaide Polo Club is always keen to attract new members who
love the thrill of speed, horses, and team ball
sports in a well organised, safe and welcoming environment.

Polo in South Australia
was first conceived in 1874 when a young graduate
from Cambridge University returned home to South Australia
carrying with him some polo sticks and balls.
Having recently watched a polo match at Hurlingham,
the young Lancelot Stirling aspired to play the game in Adelaide. The first polo match
was played in South Australia on Montefiore Hill in 1876. Robert
Barr Smith, W Gilbert, WH Horn, Major Godwin
and Stirling were listed as the initial participants.

So it was that in 1879 the Adelaide Polo
Club was officially formed, seemingly at the
instigation of WH Horn, although there are records
of polo matches being played at garden parties of the
Hon. Alex Hay at Linden and CB Hardy at Mitcham
at that time.

Other clubs were
formed in South Australia early on including a club at Burra and the very famous
Mt. Crawford Polo Club in 1883.

By 1880 intercolonial matches were being
played between the Western District of Victoria
and South Australia at Albert Park in Melbourne.
The first two matches were won by South Australia. This was despite the South Australians playing
the same ponies throughout the game while
their opponents were on bigger more numerous
horses and reportedly used mallets a foot
longer. This was the beginning of the great
state rivalry that exists in polo between South Australia and Victoria still to this today.

But when it comes to playing polo interstate, as now, distance has always been
a problem. Much inter club polo was played at that time. Teams such as North versus South and Married
versus Unmarried contested the games of the
day.

Early Adelaide Polo Club was played at the Old Victoria Park Racecourse. It later returned to Montefiore Hill until a new grounds and a clubhouse were opened on the 22nd of November 1902 at the corner of what is now Morphett Road and Anzac Highway. Couch grass was sown and pipes laid out for irrigation to attract teams from the other clubs in South Australia which by now included Strathalbyn and Broken Hill.

The
Adelaide Polo Club remained at Birkalla as it became known
until 1960, when due to suburban development,
it moved 25 kilometres to the north of the
city to two irrigated fields at Waterloo Corner.
This green oasis in the middle of the North
Adelaide Plains was
the Mecca of polo in South Australia for the next forty years. Waterloo Corner saw host to a number
of international teams as well as teams from every state in Australia. But as the city grew and
horses became used less except for pleasure,
it was apparent that the club needed to be
located closer to the horses.

So in 2000 the
Adelaide Polo Club moved for the third time to its own fields
at Mt. Barker, again two irrigated
fields, amidst rolling hills and big gums.
Its proximity to nearby Pony Clubs will hopefully
see the influx of new and younger members.

Other Clubs in South Australia now include Strathalbyn, Penola
in the South East and Wentworth in NSW, all
coming under the administrative umbrella
of the South Australian Polo Association
formed in 1899.

It is a game for people who enjoy the exciting mix of speed, horses and team ball sports.

Well organised and umpired, it is safe
and exhilarating. This, has not always been the case.

E. Reg White founder of the NSW Musselbrook
club in 1890, complained in the 1930’s
that the fun had gone out of the game that
he had played in his youth.

"My word we used to see the
skin fly then. Mind you, I’m talking
of 40 years ago. We used to put the ball
in the centre of the field, the teams would
retreat to their own goal lines and be
given the signal to charge. I remember
one day a chap had a leg broken, another
was knocked out and still another had an
awful spill. My, it was good! We used a
solid hardwood ball, any kind of wood.
No umpires in those days. And none of your
cane sticks. You’d often see a player
with a bit of hoop iron fixed to his stick
to give it strength”!!